This step should post sometime after midnight EST tonight. I hope everyone has fun with this step.
Vinton, Virginia
Nana: This step should post sometime after midnight EST tonight. I hope everyone has fun with this step.
Ahh, the advantages of being on the west coast, I'll get step 2 sometime after 9pm. Of course that means I'll have to stay up past my bedtime (LOL)
In the beautiful Pacific Northwest!
I'm ready! my pieces are all cut. Here is a (not very good) photo of my fabric. black and purple.
I began sewing the Step 2 strips together, worked on them for about an hour and only got 9 of the dark light dark strips done...sewing this precisely should not be done when your eyes are tired...guess I'll quit and try to get the rest of them sewn together tomorrow.
Got them! wow, this is depressing, working today and then tomorrow have errands to run so when will I get time to sew? These loo easy peasy ecept for that scant 1/4". Think I'll be doing alot of measuring as I go.
Nana, why didn't we just cut them 1.5" nstead of 1" so we wouldn't have to wory about scant sewing? Just curious! I like to know the purpose of why we do things a certain way.
thought about this and am editing this question because I think I came up with the answer - it's so it's not so bulky when quilting. Is that the reason?
I haven't actually done the quilting part so not as familiar as others with the ins and outs but I'm learning and want to do some when I get my next machine which will have a bigger throat.
"I think it's only fair to warn you that I am, in fact, a librarian." Librarian 3: Quest for the Judas Chalice
Debbie from OKC
Hi Nana. Either I am doing something wrong or reading wrong. Step 2 says to do strip sets of dark light dark and light dark light. That would be 3 one inch strips with 2 1/4 inch seams should end up with strip sets measuring 2.5 inches not the 2 inch width. I am hoping I am right on that because mine are 2.5 inches and that is how I am sewing them. The problem is that when you cut the dark light dark strips they will be 2x2.5 inches unless we are to cut them to 2.5 inch squares not the 2 inch squares. Help me.
Paris, Ontario
Hi - I'm confused about step 2 measurements:
( Take 1” strips and sew into 27 dark light dark strip sets and 18 light dark light strip sets. You will need to be very precise with your scant 1/4” seams. After sewing your first strip set and pressing toward the dark check that the width is 2”.)
sorry remeasured and they are 2.25 inches. should I be taking more than the scant 1/4 inch seam?
I resewed taking the full 1/4 " and it came out right. It is early and I guess I was forgetting that we have 2 seams not just one so each outer colour would be .75 and the inner colour would be .5 when sewn and when you add that up it equals 2 but I guess I was going too scant on the seams. Sorry if I confused anyone else.
Not only do you have to be sure your strips are exactly 1" (that's where I have trouble), and take an exact 1/4" seam; but you have to be sure those little 1" strips are lined up exactly before sewing.
This is a good exercise for me as I'm just not a precise person so it forces me to be more careful. I've already ruined one strip set but luckily I have extra fabric.
Debbie
When you have pieces this small to work with you don't want the seams to be so bulky. There isn't enough room to press the seams. You are sewing 3 strips together and the finished strip should only measure 2" when you finish sewing the strips. That doesn't leave much space to press your seams if they are very wide.
Marilyn
When you sew the first 2 strips together you are using a 1/4" off of each strip which totals 1/2". You then sew the 3rd strip again taking a 1/4" off of each strip which again will total 1/2". You started out with 3 inches worth of strips. When you subtract your 1" total of seams used you should end up with 2". I am not sure what you are doing to only be using a total of 1/2" in seams when you are doing 2 seams.
Judy
I ended up recutting several strips because I thought I had my seam allowance set accurately. The biggest thing is precision with these little strips.
Linda
As I explained to Marilyn don't forget that you are using 1/4" off of each strip that you sew together which totals 1/2" used in each seam.
I think that everyone does their 1/4" inch seams a little differently. What I consider a scant 1/4" seam is sewing one threads width to the right of the 1/4" mark. This allows for the actual seam when you press your piece. If everyone measures their first strip set then adjust seams as necessary to get a total of 2" on the strip set then they will be fine.